Improvement in sleigh-brakes



H. W. SMITH.

Sled Brake No. 109,957. Patented Dec. 6,1870

0 II. I:

N.PETERS. PHOTO-UTNOGRAPQIER; WASHINGTON D C HErIRY W. SMITH, orRAINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 109,957, dated Decemberfi, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN SLElGH-BRAKES.

- The Schedule referred to the Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom it may concern:

Be-it known that I, HENRY \VVSMITH, of Rainsbnrg, in the county ofBedi'ordand 'in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newanduseful Improvements in Sleigh-Brakes; and do hereby declare thatthe-following is a full, clear, and exact description thereofireferencebeing had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention consists in the con strnction of a brake forsleighs, as will be more fully hereinafter setforth.

*In order. m enable others skilled in the art to'which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to .the annexed drawing, in which-I Figure 1' is a side elevation, and

Figure 2, a plan view of a sleigh with my brake attached; v

p A represents a sleigh, of any suitable construction, to the middleknee of which, on each side, is pivoted a spring lever, B.

The rear, ends of these levers B B are forked or slotted, and-in thesame is pivoted a brake or. cutter, G, which passes downward through amortise or slot in the heel of the runner. I

The spring levers BB, which may be made of wood or metal, may be pivotedto. any other suitable part of the sleigh, only so that-when the brakesare not applied, the levers should run nearly, if not quite,

parallel with therunners. On-bob-sleds they may be pivoted on thebed-panel, if so desired.

The front ends of these spring levers are slotted longitudinally, asshown in fig. 2, and a hook, a, is

passed througheach of said slots.

The hook it is attached to the outer end of an arm, 1), extending fromthe rock-shaft D, to the outer end of which is attached the hand-leverE. By means of,

this hand-lever the driver can raise and lower the .brakes O O at'will.

the purpose of connecting an automatically self-acting lock, of anysuitable description, of which no claim is made thereto under thispatent.

.A self-acting antomat-ically-operating lock may be January 26,1869. Myinvention may the driver, as desired.

On the fenderor other suitable part of the sleigh A, isbolted a longspring, G, made of wood or metal. I On the front or loose end of thisspring is attached lever E when the brakes are applied.

If the brakes should strike any obstruction, the spring G will yield andallow the brakes'to pass over.

Having thus fully described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Lettcrs Patent, is v 1. Thespring G, provided witlrthe ratchet H, and attached to the fender orother suitable place on the sleigh, substantially as and for thepurposes herein set forth. v

2. The spring levers B B, constructed as described, and pivoted at anysuitable place to a sleigh, in combination with the brakes O O, hooks aa, and arms b b, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

3. The combination of the cross rock-shaft Dwith its arms (I d, andlever E, with the brakes O O, and levers B B, all substantially as setforth. In testimony that I claim the foreg0ing, I have hereunto set myhand this 15th day of October, 1870.

HENRY W. SMITH. Witnesses:

JOSIAH SHOEMAKER, JOHN A. GUMP.

Near the rock-shaft D are arms d d, which are for seen in the patent ofmyselt' and B. O. Smith, dated be operated automatically, orby a ratchetor notched rack, H, for holding the hand-

